Please wait. Contacting image service... loading

Article text

LETTERS to the Editor*
j
^Supplies of spider
antivenom
<■ Sir, — It is regrettable that recent
'flews' items in your newspaper have
; given the impression that there is a
! shortage of funnel-web spider anti
; venom. It is doubly unfortunate that
< whilst such statements are untrue
jjhey also have been reported so as
<lo appear to have emanated from a
«tSL source or Dr S. Sutherland.
;? It woutd be much fairer to the
• public and all concerned if the true
Situation were correctly reported.
•(tThe relevant facts are:
!pf the original batch of trial anti
venom, being evaluated under
strictly controlled conditions ap
proved by the Commonwealth
jr Department of Health, issued to
•J approved hospitals more than 12
3* months ago, more than two-thirds
''^. remains unused.
lAnother batch .of dispensed anti
venom of approximately the same
•' "number of effective doses as the
first batch is held ready for issue
at CSLj.
'.The above quantity of antivenom
"could be sufficient to treat ap
>| propriately all cases of funnel
Ii-.o#eb spider envenomation likely
arise during; the next three to
wgjiye1 years.
^Clurther quantity of bulk material
*j£^s-held "ready for dispensing in
if February as freeze-dried
; j( ^material. This could yield a quan
tity of doses equivalent to the
;,i above-mentioned dispensed
« 'j slocks.
In 'addition a large volume (for this
type of preparation) of serum
containing the antivenom is held
for further processing.
On our knowledge of the number
and frequency of life-threatening
funnel-web spider envenomations
which have occurred in the past
there is a supply available which
should be adequate for at least
several years.
Furthermore it must not be
overlooked that the skilled care
available at intensive-care units and
the treatment regimens established
by specialists at these units are ade
quate to save life in nearly all cases
of funnel-web spider bite.
Another point touched on in some
press reports does, however, require
further comment. At the moment
use of the antivenom is only allowed
at the seven specified hospitals in the
Sydney area under the advice and
direction of Dr M. Fisher and Pro
fessor T. Torda. The hospitals are
the Royal North Shore, Prince
Henry's, Gosford, Westmead,
Hornsby, Sutherland and
Wollongong hospitals.
When CSL is advised by the Com
monwealth Department of Health
that sufficient evaluation of safety
and efficacy has taken place we will
be pleased to issue the additional
supplies to the next set of approved
centres.
I trust that you will see it as your
public duty to publish this letter so
that needless alarm can be allayed.)
neville j. McCarthy
Director,
Commonwealth
Parkvilte, Serum Laboratories
Victoria.
$